No offer for the Intern

Although The Intern seems appealing as a fun concept for a movie with the cast of Academy Award winners, it only disappoints. Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, The Intern is a comedy with a twist on the average 21st-century intern. Wanting to try something new and exciting, Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro), a 70-year-old retired widower, starts a community outreach program in which senior citizens intern at a thriving fashion start-up. After being assigned as the personal intern to Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway), the founder and CEO of About the Fit, Ben seems to win over everyone at the company, except for Jules. He even becomes a wise father figure to many of the younger workers and develops a romantic relationship with Fiona (Rene Russo), the company’s massage therapist. As time goes on, Jules warms up to Ben once she discovers how useful he can be due to his knowledge and work experience. As Jules’s confidante and best friend, Ben gives Jules both work and life advice about hiring a new CEO and marriage struggles with her husband Matt (Anders Holm).

Running for 121 minutes, this film tried to pack in a lot of jokes and drama, but simply was too long and slow moving. There were multiple subplots that served no purpose to the film, such as the dysfunctional relationship between Jules and her mother. While it tried to have dramatic points, none of the scenes had any development or even the slightness of arguing. Like the scenes, the undeveloped characters seemed rushed and forced. It appeared that Jules was supposed to be viewed as an empowered woman, but the film made her look more dismantled than powerful. Her lack of confrontation added to her unconvincing “strong” role. Even though her husband was having an affair, she avoided the subject until the very last minute. When he admitted to the affair and said he was sorry, her response was a hug, automatically forgiving him.

Although the film started out focusing on Ben, it changed midway to Jules, which did not allow Ben’s relationships to grow with Fiona and his fellow younger workers. There could have been some additional funny moments if it centered more on Ben and his new friends (Adam DeVine, Zack Pearlman, and Jason Orley). Pearlman’s joke about having his parents wake him up because he sleeps through his phone’s alarm was the only part I found funny. Because of the cast, there was optimism for this movie, but ultimately it failed. I would recommend saving your money and two hours of your time.